The invention relates to methods and devices for actively suspending a wheel from a vehicle.
The suspension of a vehicle allows it to drive smoothly over a bumpy road. The wheels may jolt up and down, but springs between the wheel axles and the body of the car flex and take up the force of the jolts. This ensures that the force of the bumping is not transferred to the vehicle. Springs alone produce a bouncing motion, so the suspension also contains dampers, commonly known as shock absorbers. These slow the movement of the springs to prevent the vehicle and its occupants bouncing up and down.
Thus, the suspension system of a vehicle typically requires two components for each wheel, i.e., a spring and a damper. It is desirable, however, to combine the two components into a single component in order to reduce cost and simplify manufacturing.